Microsoft 365 Message Center Archive

MC1269870 - Update to Copilot navigation pane chat history filtering

Message ID

MC1269870

View in Message Center

Service

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

Published

Apr 3, 2026

Tag

Feature update
User impact

Summary

Chat history in the Copilot navigation pane will be filtered by the current Copilot experience, with an option to view all chats. This change, rolling out April-May 2026, affects all Microsoft 365 users, requires no admin action, and does not impact data storage or compliance.

More information

Introduction

We’re updating how chat history is displayed in the Copilot navigation pane to help users stay focused and quickly resume relevant conversations. Chat history will now be scoped to the Copilot experience a user is currently working in, while still allowing access to an All chats view.

When this will happen:

  • General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin late April 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.
  • General Availability (GCC, GCCH, DoD): Rollout will begin early May 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected:

  • All users accessing Chat experiences across Microsoft 365 apps.

What will happen:

  • The chat history list in the Copilot navigation pane will show chats relevant to the Copilot experience the user is currently in. For example, users will only see chats they started from Outlook when looking at their chat history in Outlook.
  • Users can still switch to an All chats view from the navigation pane to find and continue conversations across different Copilot experiences.
  • Prior to this change, the navigation pane showed all chats by default, regardless of experience.
  • Existing chats are not deleted or modified; only how chats are filtered and displayed in the navigation pane is changing.
  • This change is enabled by default and does not require admin configuration.
  • There is no impact to data storage, retention, auditing, or compliance.

What you can do to prepare:

No action is required.

We recommend:

  • Notifying helpdesk and support teams about the navigation pane filtering behavior to reduce potential user confusion.
  • Updating internal Copilot user guidance or screenshots if they reference the chat list in the navigation pane.
  • Proactively informing users that they can use All chats if they don’t immediately see a previous conversation.

Compliance considerations:

Compliance questionExplanation
Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed?Chat data is unchanged, but access is presented through an experience‑scoped view by default, which alters how users navigate existing chat data.
Does the change modify how users can access their personal data (GDPR Data Subject Rights)?Users access chats through scoped views, with continued availability of an All chats view. No loss of access or deletion capability is introduced.